Device for closing doors and the like

ABSTRACT

A DOOR CLOSER AND THE LIKE. ELONGATED HOUSING MEANS HAS SPACED ENDS. SLIDE MEANS IS LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE IN THE HOUSING IN THE REGION OF ONE OF THE ENDS BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION. SHAFT MEANS IS CONNECTED WITH THE SLIDE MEANS AND CAN BE CONNECTED WITH A DOOR SO AS TO MOVE THE SLIDE MEANS TO ITS OPERATIVE POSITION WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED. A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED RODS ARE COUPLED TO THE SLIDE MEANS FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE SAME AND EXTEND TOWARDS THE OTHER END OF THE HOUSING. BIASING SPRING MEANS PERMANENTLY URGES THE SLIDE MEANS TO ITS INOPERATIVE POSITION. A CROSS-HEAD IS MOUNTED ON THE ENDS OF THE SHAFTS ADJACENT THE OTHER END FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE SHAFTS. A DASHPOT HAVING A STATIONARY AND A MOVABLE COMPONENT IS MOUNTED INTERMEDIATE THE SHAFT FOR DAMPING MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDE MEMBER TO ITS INOPERATIVE POSITION. CONNECTING MEANS CONNECTS THE CROSS-HEAD WITH THE MOVABLE COMPONENT OF THE DASHPOT.

3mm m 9 NOV 9 19W D. JENTSQH DEVICE FOR CLOSING DORS AND THE LIKE Film1Supt. 1l, 1969 mm m Q t Serres U.S. Cl. 116-55 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF'I'IIE DISCLOSURE A door closer and the like. Elongated housing meanshas spaced ends. Slide means is longitudinally slidable in the housingin the region of one of the ends between an operative and an inoperativeposition. Shaft means is connected with the slide means and can beconnected with a door so `as to move the slide means to its operativeposition when the door is opened. A pair of transversely spaced rods arecoupled to the slide means for movement with the same and extend towardsthe other end of the housing. Biasing spring means permanently urges theslide means to its inoperative position. A cross-head is mounted on theends of the shafts adjacent the other end for movement with the shafts.A dashpot having a stationary and a movable component is mountedintermediate the shaft for damping movement of the slide member to itsinoperative position. Connecting means connects the cross-head with themovable component of the dashpot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to adevice for closing doors and the like, and more specifically to such adevice wherein a slide member is movable longitudinally within ahousing, being urged to a rest position by biasing means and being movedfrom its rest position in response to turning movement of a shaft withwhich it is associated and which in turn is connectable with the door orother element which is to be closed by the device.

Such devices are already known. They utilize some type of attenuatingmeans for attenuating the return movement of the device when the samecloses the door or other member, hereafter for the sake of conveniencereferred to as the door, so that the door should not slam." A knowndevice of the type in question utilizes a cam for controlling theattenuating means, this cam being arranged on the shaft which actuatesthe Slide means. This, however, is not advantageous because it requiresa relatively bulky--with respect to the diameter-construction of thedevice which is frequently undesirable because of inadequate spaceavailability. Other constructions known from the prior art suffer fromsimilar disadvantages, and many of them are quite expensive because theyare quite elaborate. In still others it is at least difficult andsometimes impossible to properly adjust the force of the biasing means,which is also disadvantageous because it makes it impossible to utilizeone or a small number of different closing devices for a wide variety ofdoors and other members which are to be closed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, a general object of thepresent invention to provide a device of the type identified here beforewhich is not possessed of the aforementioned disadvantages.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to providesuch a device wherein the control of the 3,6IS,I59 Patented Nov. 9, ISWIattenuating means is effected in a novel manner, but wherein at the sametime adjustment of the biasing force of the biasing means is regulatableprecisely and without any difculties.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device which,because of its particular structural features, requires less space thanheretofore necessary and which is relatively simple in its construction.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide such a device whichdoes not require access to the interior of the housing for adjustmentsin the biasing force of the biasing means.

In pursuance of the above objects, and others, which will becomeapparent hereafter, one feature of the novel device resides, brieflystated, in the provision of elongated housing means having spaced ends,with slide means being mounted in the housing means longitudinallyslidable in the region of one of the ends between an operative and aninoperative position. Shaft means are connected with slide means andarranged to be connected with a door for moving the slide means to theoperative position in response to opening of the door. Of course, awindow or other member can also be controlled with the device.

A pair of transversely spaced rods are coupled to the slide means formovement with the same and extend towards the other of the ends of thehousing means, these shafts having end portions located adjacent itsother end. Biasing spring means permanently urges the slide measn to itsinoperative position. A cross-head is mounted on the end portions of theshaft for movement therewith. A dashpot has a stationary and a movablecomponent and is mounted intermediate the shafts for damping themovement of the slide member to its inoperative position. Connectingmeans connect the cross-head with the movable component of the dashpot.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects andvantages thereof, will bebest understood from the following description of specific embodimentswhen read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a top-plan view, partly insection, of a device according to the present invention, with thehousing partly open;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the III-III of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing indetail, it will be seen that the device has a housing 10 of generallybox-shaped elongated configuration, this housing being flat as FIGS. 2and 3 show particularly clearly. The housing 1t) may be closed with acover I1, which may be supplied in separate sections if desired.

A rotatable shaft 12 is mounted in the housing in a manner already knownfrom the art, and carries in the interior of the housing a cam 13 whoseoutline is shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. Arranged above and below thecam 13-as seen in FIG. l-are two plates which are connected with a pinI4 and together with the same constitute a slide means I5. Two journalpins 16 extend also between these plates and each has mounted thereon aroller 17 which is journalled in a needle bearing. These cooperate withthe cam 13. A further roller 19 is mounted 3 on pin 18 in order toassure engaging cooperation between the cam 13 and the rollers 17 underall circumstances, even if the device is used under adverse conditions.

Two guide rollers 21 are respectively mounted via needle bearings on twoadditional pins 20 of the slide means 15. These guide rollers 21 guidethe slide means 15 along the side walls of the housing in tracks 22. Theplates constituting the slide means are each provided with a slottedopening 23 and the shaft 12 extends transversely through these openings23 which are aligned with one another.

As FIG. 1 shows most clearly, two shafts or rods 24 extend inparallelism transversely spaced from one another within the housing 10.They are each connected at one end with the slide means 15 and eachsurrounded by a helical expansion spring 25. At their opposite ends theshafts 24 extend through bores provided in a cross-head 26 which extendstransversely of the housing in the interior thereof, adjacent theopposite end, that is the righthand end in FIG. 1. The cross-head ismovable in the housing in the longitudinal direction of the latter, andthereby of the shafts 24. A bridging member 28 extends between andconnects the free end of the shafts 24, being secured thereto by thescrews 27 or analogous connecting means. It is located intermediate thecross-head 26 and the adjacent end wall of the housing 10.

A threaded spindle 29 is threaded through a bore provided in thetransverse wall 30 of the housing so as to be movable farther into andout of the housing; it extends in parallelism with the elongation of thehousing and thereby the shafts 24. A head 31 provided on the spindle 29is so configurated that it can be engaged with suitable tools, forinstance with a wrench or the like, and can be turned. FIG. 2 shows thatthe spindle 29 is threaded into a bore provided substantially centrallyof the cross-head 26 (compare also FIG. l). The springs 25, constitutingthe biasing means, surround the shafts 24 and abut with their oppositeends against the slide means` 15 and the cross-head 26. By turning thespindle 29 in a sense shifting the cross-head 26 towards the left-handside in FIG. 2, the springs 25 may be compressed, thereby varying theirbiasing force. Of course, the reverse is also possible.

A dashpot in form of a hydraulic cylinder 32 is located intermediate theshafts 24 and the springs 25, and comprises a piston 33 which is urgedby a prestressed expansion spring 34 in the direction towards the endwall 30 of the housing 10. Such dashpots are already known, and it willbe evident to those skilled in the art that in the bottom wall of thecylinders 32 there are provided suitable fluid channels, some of whichare provided with oneway valves and others with adjustable throttlingvalves, which permit inflow and outflow of the hydraulic medium fillingthe interior of the housing 10 and the fluid space in the interior ofthe cylinder 32. This is not thought to require a detailed descriptionbecause it is known to those skilled in the art, as pointed out before,and further because it does not form a part of the present invention.

However, it is in accordance with the present invention that the piston33 is coupled with the slide means 15 as well as with the shafts 24 andthe bridging member 28 by a drive member or connecting member which iscarried by the bridge 28. In the illustrated embodiment it is in theform of two projections or tongues 35 extending from the bridge 38 andstraddling the crosshead 26 at opposite sides thereof. The front ends ofthese projections 35 are connected by a pin 37 on which there is mounteda roller 36. Under the biasing force of the spring 34 the piston 33abuts against the roller 36. It will be appreciated that the projections35 may be of one piece with the bridging member 28, or may be securedthereto in suitable manner, as by welding, riveting, screwing or thelike.

In the operation of the device according to the present invention, andwhen the door or other member whose closing movement is to be controlledwill be opened, the shaft 12 turns and effects via the cam 13 themovement of the slide means 15 with the associated shaft 24 and thebridging member 28 towards the right-hand side in FIGS. 1 and 2. It willbe understood that in these figures the device is shown in rest orinoperative position wherein the door is assumed to be closed, orwherein the device is not assumed to be connected with the door. Duringthis movement towards the right-hand side, the springs 25 are compressedand the piston 33 follows under the influence of the spring 34, thepressure roller 36. Accordingly, the fluid space in the cylinder 32increases as the fluid enters in wellknown manner through a suitablechannel provided with a one-way valve which permits entry but not exitof the fluid, into the interior of the fluid space. When the forcemoving the door or other member to open position, ceases to operate, thesprings 25 shift the slide member 15 with the associated shafts 24 andbridging member 28 towards the left-hand side in FIGS. l and 2.Simultaneously, the respectively cooperating pressure roller 17 and theassociated cam 13 which cooperates therewith, turn the shaft 12 which inturn effects movement of the door to closed position. The speed of thismovement is limited by the hydraulic damping device because the slidemeans 15 is connected via the shafts 24 and the bridging member 28 andfurther via the members 35. 36 and 37, to the piston 33 which can enterinto the cylinder 32 only as quickly as fluid escapes therefrom througha conventional channel whose cross-section can be varied by thethrottling means provided. The precompression of the springs 25 may bevaried by turning the spindle 29 and thereby changing the position ofthe cross-head 26 within the housing 10.

Of course, it will be appreciated that the illustrated embodiment isexemplary only and that the invention is not limited thereto. Otherpossibilities will offer themselves readily to those skilled in the art.For instance, it is possible to effect the sliding movement of the slidemeans 15 via the shaft 12 in a manner other than that which has beenillustrated. For instance, the guide rollers 21 could be eliminated andthe slide means 15 could be guided by having the edge faces bounding theslots 23 cooperate with the shaft 12 for effecting a straight linemovement, to thereby further reduce the length of the device. In placeof the projection 35 it would be possible to use members which, whilestraddling the crosshead 16, would penetrate the same through suitablebores provided therein adjacent the spindle 29. Still othermodifications will be evident to those skilled in the art and areintended to be encompassed as part of the present invention.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in adevice for closing doors and the like, it is not intended to be limitedto the details shown, since various modifications and structural changesmay be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the presentinvention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A device for closing doors and the like, comprising elongated housingmeans having spaced end walls; slide means in said housing meanslongitudinally slidable in the region of one of said end Walls betweenan operative and an inoperative position; shaft means connected withsaid slide means and arranged to be connected with a door for movingsaid slide means to said operative position in response to opening ofthe door; a pair of transversely spaced shafts coupled to said slidemeans for movement with the same and extending towards the other of saidend walls, said shafts having end portions located adjacent said otherend wall; a cross-head mounted on said end portions of said shafts formovement longitudinally thereof; biasing spring means having endsections which respectively bear upon said cross-head and said slidemeans for permanently urging the latter to said inoperative position;adjusting means secured to said crosshead and having an adjustingportion projecting through said other end wall so as to enable byoperation of said adjusting portion to eiect movement of said cross-headalong said shafts from outside of said housing means a dashpot having astationary and a movable -.component and being mounted intermediate saidshafts for damping the movement of said slide means to said inoperativeposition; and connecting means connecting said `shafts with said movablecomponent of said dashpot, said connecting means comprising a bridgingportion connected to said end portions of said shafts intermediate saidcross-head and said other end wall of said housing means and at leastone connecting portion engaging at one'end to said movable component ofsaid dashpot and at the other end thereof to said bridging portion.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, said biasing spring means comprisingtwo helical compression springs under pretension each surrounding one ofsaid shafts coaxially therewith.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, said portion comprising twoprojections straddling said cross-head and projecting beyond the sametowards said one end wall of said housing and to said movable componentof said dashpot.

4. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein connecting said portion issubstantially U-shaped, said projections constituting the arms of the Uand said connecting portion having a section which constitutes the bightof the 3 U and which is rigid with said bridging portion.

5. A device as defined in claim 4, wherein said section is of one piecewith said bridging portion.

6. A device as defined in claim 3, said projections having terminalportions adjacent said dashpot; and further comprising a pin extendingtransversely between and connected to said terminal portions sopositioned as to bear upon said movable component.

7. A device as defined in claim 6; and further comprising a rollerelement mounted. on said pin for free rotation relative thereto.

8. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein said projections extendlaterally of said cross-head beyond the same.

9. A device as defined in claim 3, said cross-head having a pair ofapertures, and said. projections extending through said apertures.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 962,916 6/1910 Regan 16--553,137,888 6/1964 Blom 16-55 X 3,501,001 4/ 1970 Wharton 1'6-55 FOREIGNPATENTS 679,354 9/1952 England 16-55 998,344 7/1965 -Englaud 16--551,059,033 2/ 1967 England 16-55 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner P. A.ASCHENBRENNER, Assistant Examiner

